Nominated applications are submitted to a panel of independent professional judges for review and decision. Nominees and winners are chosen based on the following criteria:

Sound Curriculum – The curriculum employed by the site is designed to teach students about wildlife habitat and biodiversity protection in a way that promotes investigation, critical thinking and team building.

Scope of Projects – The curriculum uses the habitat to teach and engages the students in multi-disciplinary education including subjects such as language, social studies, math and art in addition to science.

Level of Commitment – The wildlife team should be highly committed, demonstrated by the contribution of time, effort, and resources relative to the size of the site. Commitment is also reflected by the Hours of Active Learning that take place at the site.

Outside Group Involvement – The wildlife team should involve the community in designing, implementing and evaluating the CLL program. This can occur through actively involving educators, non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies and youth group leaders (e.g. 4-H and Scouts) on a regular basis.

Length of Involvement – The Review Committee will examine the program based on how long it has been maintained with or before involvement of WHC, and/or how long it will take to implement and achieve the program’s stated goals.

Credibility – The program should stand up to scrutiny by members of the conservation and education professions and provide a model for other companies.